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Permalink Reply by cefa paulus on September 23, 2010 at 8:19pm

try this
http://www.cs.helsinki.fi/u/wikla/mus/NewScalc/
ciao

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Permalink Reply by Diane in Chicago on September 24, 2010 at 12:57am

Cefa Paulus, I am an idiot.

It will tell me the tension I need to get a particular note, but how can I know if the string will allow that tension load?

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Permalink Reply by Chester Winowiecki on September 24, 2010 at 3:37am

Diane,
my own experience with uke strings suggests that you can tune up or down a couple of notes beyond the designed for note. I regularly use aquila soprano strings for "C" tuning and tune them up to "D". Similarly, other people use concert gage strings (slightly thicker) and tune them to "C" tuning on a soprano to get a little more tension.
While experimenting, I think your biggest issue will be stretching, as once a nylon string is tuned up to a certain tension and has stretched out, if you return it to a lower tension, it doesn't hold that tuning very well and is a bit more floppy than it would if you had only ever tuned it to the lower note.
I think a starting place for gage tension would be to enter a known set at standard tuning (GCEA) and see what tensions come out. Good luck!

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Permalink Reply by YeahDoIt on September 24, 2010 at 3:58am

I found some nylon uke strings on the web that list diameters: http://accessories.musiciansfriend.com/product/Black-Diamond-N54-Wh...

Gauges .025", .032", .036", and .028".

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